News

The Federal Council decided on 28 January 2026 to submit a proposal to Parliament to dissolve the Swiss Science Council (SSC) as an Extra-Parliamentary Commission. This decision was justified by the argument that the Council’s advisory services to the Federal Council were no longer needed due to changed framework conditions. According to the Federal Council, the increased pace of politics and the expansion of internal administrative competences mean that the SSC, in its current form, is no longer appropriate. It further maintained that short-term expertise was now required, which could be provided by ad hoc committees appointed by the Federal Council or the Federal Administration, or through external mandates. Instead, the need today is for short-term expertise, which could be provided by ad hoc committees appointed by the Federal Council or the federal administration, or through the awarding of external mandates.

Im Gespräch mit Prof. Jean-Marc Piveteau, einem langjährigen Hochschulmanager, Beobachter und Mitgestalter des Systems, zeigt sich, dass das Schweizer Hochschulsystem weniger durch klare Trennlinien als durch produktive Spannungsfelder geprägt ist: Spannungsfelder zwischen Wissenschaft und Praxis, Offenheit und Eigeninteressen, Autonomie und Kooperation.

Blog post by the SSC

Discussion with Dieter Imboden

The report is available in English, with summaries in German, French and Italian. The expert reports by Prof. Dr. J. Philipp Trein and Dr. Ana Petrus are included in English as appendices to the report.

Blog post by Dominique Foray, member of the Council.

Am 22. September 2025 feiert der SWR sein 60-jähriges Bestehen im Bernerhof.

Blogbeitrag des SWR

Martina Hirayama benennt die drei grössten Herausforderungen aus ihrer Perspektive – in einem Beitrag zum 60-Jahre-Jubiläum des SWR.

Blog post by the SSC

Torsten Schwede benennt die drei grössten Herausforderungen aus seiner Perspektive – in einem Beitrag zum 60-Jahre-Jubiläum des SWR.

Blog post by the SSC

Myriam Dunn Cavelty benennt die drei grössten Herausforderungen aus ihrer Perspektive – in einem Beitrag zum 60-Jahre-Jubiläum des SWR.

Blog post by the SSC